Yeah yeah, but can it look round corners in photos and respond to vague voice commands?

You're right, the article doesn't say it's new, but the vast majority of people don't know it isn't - I think that could have done with a mention. It is, actually, mentioned in the linked article: "Mutagenesis isn’t new: Breeders have relied on it for decades to produce thousands of varieties of lettuce, oats, rice, and other crops."

It's been around a lot longer than 25 years. Mutagenesis via irradiation's been with us since the 50s. For a rather silly example, have a read of this look at amateur grower involvement as well as the wikipedia article on atomic gardens. So yeah: very extremely not a new thing.